Where's Judas, reader asks

Saturday

Sep 28, 2013 at 12:01 AM

Question:Do you think Judas is in Heaven or Hell? God allowed him to be used of Satan; it was even in God's plan. Plus, he proved he was sorry by hanging himself! - Shalonda Brockington, Alexandria, Va.

Answer:You have some good points, but Jesus h

Question:Do you think Judas is in Heaven or Hell? God allowed him to be used of Satan; it was even in God's plan. Plus, he proved he was sorry by hanging himself!

- Shalonda Brockington, Alexandria, Va.

Answer:You have some good points, but Jesus has already answered your question. In John 17:12 Jesus prayed before his crucifixion: "Those that you gave me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled." That verse says that even before Judas committed his fateful betrayal, Jesus knew he would be lost. Perdition means utter failure and ruin. The son of perdition is a name given to Judas here and to the coming Antichrist in 2 Thessalonians 2:3. In this Hebrew idiom, a person embodying the traits of something is called the son of that thing. Therefore, according to Jesus, Judas is in Hell. Acts 1:15 confirms this, "& Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place."

Yes, God allowed Judas to be used "that scripture might be fulfilled." That means it was prophesied beforehand. In fact, in John 13:26 Jesus even named who would betray him. True, this was in God's plan, but God didn't make Judas do what he did. In his foreknowledge, God knew Judas would give himself to be used of Satan.

Because Judas hanged himself, it would appear he was sorry for what he did, but sorrow alone never saved anyone. "Except you repent, you shall all likewise perish," Jesus said in Luke 13:5. Repentance is more than being sorry. It means being sorry enough to stop sinning and come back to God. If he had repented and given his life to God, he would have sought to live for God and not kill himself. Paul wrote the Christian's ideal in Galatians 2:20, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."

We see no evidence of Christ's living in Judas.

Judas had every advantage; he even lived with God as a man on earth for almost three years. Yet, he allowed Satan to use him, and he chose to deliver Jesus to be killed. No one is automatically saved just by knowing about Jesus. Everyone must personally repent and ask for forgiveness. "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:13). Each of us will spend eternity in Heaven or Hell by this one question alone: "What did you do with Jesus?"

- Dr. Tom Lovorn is pastor of God's Storehouse Baptist Church in Richmond, and writes a weekly column on religion for The Progress-Index.

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